


adventure coffee

by bubblelaureno



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 05:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30016962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblelaureno/pseuds/bubblelaureno
Summary: When Willow meets Lucas during a coffee shop challenge, she finds herself coming back to the same coffee shop.
Relationships: Lucas Koh/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	adventure coffee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChronicComicObsession](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChronicComicObsession/gifts).



> Written for the LITG Fanfic Discord Gift Exchange and for Kellee.
> 
> This was completely different to what I’m used to writing, and such an awesome challenge. I hope you like this x

_ There’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear. _

Willow opened the door to the cafe, basking in the little bit of breeze that met her. There was only so much shopping she could handle, more like browsing. She had decided to meet her best friend Hope in the cafe, it being picked randomly. She was aiming to try out as many non-chain cafes as she could and had pulled her best friend into her wild plans. 

Willow scanned the cafe, noticing Hope towards the back. They had opted to share a house together for second year. They had met due to being on the same floor in halls and had bonded fairly quickly. She made her way over, grinning. 

“Hey! How are you? Still as busy as ever I suppose, it’s so nice to see you.” Hope pulled her into a warm hug, wrapping her arms tight around her. “You haven’t tried this cafe yet, right? I wasn’t sure how much around London you’d got yet.”

They separated and Willow placed her bags on the chair. “Nope, not yet. How did you find this place? You’ve got an eye for these things.” 

“Hmm. I never give away my secrets.” Hope winked at her. Willow studied her carefully, noticing the knowing look in her eyes. Willow looked over Hope’s shoulder, to the person at the counter.  _ Oh no. It’s not another one of Hope’s harebrained schemes again, is it?  _

A tall man with dark hair stood at the counter, he appeared out of place not fitting with the vibrant busy vibes of the cafe. The cafe itself had a clear nature focus, with photos of landscapes and plants spread around it. It appeared wild, and bright. The man was neat and pristine, in a perfectly pressed white button-down shirt. A strange combination.

“What? You need to get out of your rut with relationships somehow, right? And if you’re not dating anyone from uni, then it’s worth a shot,” Hope explained.  _ She does have a point. You keep getting into a mess relationship wise, so ended up putting everything on hold.  _

“If this goes wrong, I’m holding you responsible.” Willow pushed her glasses up her nose and grabbed her purse from her bag, making her way over to the counter.

She scanned the cakes, trying to waste as much time as she could before making her decision. Talking to strangers, even on a customer service basis was far from a strong point for her.  _ Lemon cake, and a latte. Perfect. _

She moved in front of the counter, looking up at the tall man behind it. As she made eye contact with him, her words dried up in her throat.  _ Wait. Lucas? But he moved, didn’t he? Many moons ago, you haven’t seen him in years.  _

He tapped his hand nervously on the counter and she blinked. “Oh! H...Hi, could I please have a latte and a slice of the lemon cake?” She tried for a smile and fiddled with a loose curl of hair.

“Of course.” He fiddled with the till and tapped in her order, staring at it with a furrowed brow. “Sorry, the till has been having some issues today.” 

He grabbed a plate and opened the glass cabinet, sliding a slide of cake out neatly with a knife. Returning to the till, he called out. “Henrik! The till’s causing problems again.” 

A tall blond emerged from the backroom and moved his shoulder-length hair from his face. He poked and prodded at the till, eventually getting it to work after snapping at it. “ _ Skithuvud!  _ Why can’t you work for a change?” 

He turned to Lucas. “It should work for at least ten minutes,call me again if we have more issues with it.” He disappeared back into the back room again, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry, again.” Lucas re-entered the order into the till, before looking back up at her. “That’ll be £7.50, please.”

Willow put her card in the card machine and followed the instructions on it. She took it out as it flashed green and waited for her coffee. 

“Don’t worry about it. Technology doesn’t always play ball.” She flashed him a soft smile and he nodded, before turning to the coffee machine, focusing on her coffee. 

“You can take a seat, and I’ll bring it to you,” he replied, looking back at her. He did a slight double-take, then looked back at her again, studying her carefully. “You seem really familiar. I’m not sure what it is, but I remember you.” 

“Really? I’m not that memorable a face, surely,” she asked with a shrug, despite herself. A memory flashed in her mind of the two of them reading together in primary school. She was so different back then, so innocent, and it was before she had braces. 

She made her way over to Hope, mulling it over in her mind.  _ It really can’t be him, right? But stranger things have happened.  _

She took a seat, clasping her hands before her. After a little bit, Hope nudged her in the arm. “What’s on your mind?”

“I think I recognise him. I’m not sure where from.”

“He’s definitely gorgeous, right? Definitely your typical type, I thought, dark-haired, tall...” Hope raised her brows knowingly.. 

As Willow heard footsteps coming over, she nudged Hope to alert her. She looked up as he appeared, smiling softly and letting him set down the tray before her. 

“Enjoy. You still look familiar. I’m not sure what it is, but it might just be me…” he mused. She got lost in his dark brown eyes before realising what she was doing and looked away.  _ Watch out. Don’t let yourself get too captured by the idea of love. You’re too busy to let yourself get distracted that way. _

“It’s not just you, I see it too. I doubt that I’m that memorable, though.”  _ Surely he had more friends than just you, right? You changed, hopefully since primary school.  _

“You are memorable! What have I said about putting yourself down?” Hope protested from beside her. “I’m Hope, and this is Willow.”

Lucas nodded. “Willow. I’ve heard that name before, or was it Willa?”

“I did call myself Willa once upon a time, but that was long ago. I’m Willow now.” She held out a hand to him and he shook it, letting go too soon, too quickly for her liking. She wanted him to hold her hand for longer, but she snapped out of it, blinking.

“I’m Lucas.” He winced slightly and facepalmed. “Of course, you knew that already because of the name tag. I was best friends with a Willa back in primary school, so that does make sense. I don’t suppose, that you might be…”

Willow cut him off. “That would be me, yes. I wasn’t entirely sure. Sorry for interrupting…” she flushed red slightly.

“Of course. That does make sense.” He made his way back to the counter, clearing tables as he went. Willow found herself unable to look away from him, until Hope cleared her throat. She looked back at her best friend with burning cheeks and ducked her head, focusing on the cake in front of her. Her hand vibrated slightly, she still felt his hand in hers. She lightly traced her palm with a finger, feeling the strange sensation. 

————————

She remembered the location of the cafe, deciding to return when she had an assignment to tackle. She loved the quietness of the cafe overall, and decided to come back without Hope this time. 

She checked the name of the cafe.  _ Adventure Coffee. Hmm, interesting. That explains the overall vibe of the place. _

She opened the door, hearing the little bell tinkle, and closed it behind her. She made her way to the counter, noticing in disappointment that Lucas wasn’t by the counter.  _ Hang on, you didn’t come here to see him. You came here for peace, something which is hard to get in the house currently, with Marisol trying to get everyone involved in quizzing her. You might be on the same course, doesn’t mean you want to help her all the time! _

She looked up at the blond behind the counter, the name tag saying Henrik on it. “Hi, could I have a latte? I’ll probably be here for quite a while.”

“Excellent, glad to hear it.” Henrik grinned, and stared at the till, managing to get it to work in one go this time. “That would be £2.95.”

Willow nodded and handed over a £5 note. “Till’s working this time, then?” She asked.

He nodded, giving her back the change. “The cafe is my family’s originally, so I know how to work the old till better than Lucas does. You can have a seat if you like.”

She nodded, making her way to a wide table next to a plug socket. She set out three textbooks in a neat pile, a notebook, pen and her laptop. Her phone beeped in her pocket and she fished it out, staring at the screen as she put it on silent.

**_Friend request from Lucas Koh._ **

_ Hold up. How did he find your Facebook? Interesting. _

Willow unlocked it, accepting the request and turning her phone off again. She booted up her laptop, opening her notebook to her detailed essay plan. She tapped her pen on her chin as she thought, thanking Henrik when he put down her latte.

The peaceful atmosphere caused her to focus on the essay, continuing where she left off. She had half an essay to complete, which would hopefully be complete if she didn’t get distracted. Thoughts of Lucas and the unexpected friend request occasionally passed over her mind, but she was able to avoid getting too distracted.

A couple of hours passed before she looked up again when she finished the essay. She noticed movement behind the counter and looked up to see Lucas who smiled at the sight of her. She blushed, hiding behind her laptop screen and continued her remaining checks, eventually saving and submitting it.  _ Phew. Done. Maybe more coffee then? _

She made her way over to the counter. “Hi, latte please.” She worried her lip back and forth as she tried to decide whether to ask about the friend request.

“That would be £2.95.” Lucas scratched his neck and stared at the till, putting in her order. He opened and shut his mouth as she handed over £3. He gave her 5p in return, and was still struggling for words.

“Hey, did you send me a friend request earlier?”

He nodded, shifting on his feet. “We have mutual friends, it appears. Umm...I’ll bring the coffee to you.”

“Cool beans,” She grinned back at him. As she returned to her seat, she winced slightly.  _ Cool beans? Really. Now he thinks you’re a weirdo.  _

She checked her phone, her hands shook slightly and she put one hand over the other, crushing it to the table to stop herself shaking. 

She hadn’t missed much, other than a group text for someone to buy milk. She shut down her laptop, and closed it, sliding it back into the laptop case and into her bag. She stacked the textbooks back up, and put back her notebook and pencil case. She retrieved a separate book from her bag, and tidied her textbooks away. 

As she was clearing up her space, Lucas had reappeared with her coffee and she thanked him, opening the massive book before her.  _ War and Peace  _ was a classic, and she had made a bet that she would finish all of the classics with Marisol, something she was regretting. 

Despite taking the same course, she had nothing in common with the other girl, apart from the fact they had grown up together, in Portsmouth. How they had somehow stayed friends this long was hard for her to fully understand, unless Marisol was really that alone. Willow herself, despite being very quiet, had found herself a nice little group of friends. Marisol did seem like the odd one out in their group of four, but letting her go entirely wasn’t something she was comfortable with. When Marisol had broken up with her girlfriend Olivia, she had been absolutely destroyed, and leaving her like that wasn’t an option. It did feel a little like she was just sticking to the group for lack of having a group of her own. Willow hoped she would find her people, it made her sad to see Marisol so unmoored.

Willow felt her eyes start to shut, and she removed her glasses, finding herself falling asleep on the book. She was so tired after getting up so early, and needed a nap desperately after finishing her essay. She supposed a fifteen minute nap would be okay.

Fifteen minutes quickly turned into an hour and an hour turned into two. She was lost in strange dreams, of what it could be like if she was with Lucas for real.  _ You’ve only seen the guy twice, yet he consumed your thoughts and your dreams. Maybe you’re a little obsessed.  _

She felt a hand on her shoulder and her eyes snapped open. She looked up to see Lucas next to the table, his cheeks flushed red.  _ Wait. Was he embarrassed at interrupting your sleep?  _

“I’m sorry for interrupting your sleep, but we’re closing soon. I just wanted to let you know,” he explained.

“Oh, of course. That’s fine.” Willow sat up in her seat, and closed her book, slipping it in her bag.

“ _ War and Peace _ put you to sleep then? I can’t really blame you, it’s a tough read.” He smiled softly, leaning on the table.

“I did a stupid bet with one of my friends to read all the classics.  _ War and Peace  _ is taking far too long to tackle, that’s for sure. I’ve been pretty busy today, with the essay and all. Along with being up early. I’m not much of a morning person, that’s for sure. Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear my moaning, when you have stuff to do.” 

“The café’s pretty much clean. I like listening to you anyway…” He blushed slightly at the statement, and she stood, shouldering her bag on her back.  _ He likes listening to you? Interesting. It’s usually you being awkward around people too, so it’s a refreshing change to have the opposite. _

“What time is it, anyway? I lost complete track.” She asked.

Lucas checked his watch. “About 5:30.”

Before she lost the nerve, she looked over to him. “I’m not in any hurry to go anywhere, unless you’re busy would you mind spending time with me? Sorry if I’m overstepping.” 

“I’m not busy, as it happens. You’re not overstepping either. Anything in mind?” 

“Umm…” Willow blinked, trying to think of something. “Nothing that comes to mind.” Her stomach growled just as she said that, giving her a perfect idea. “What about food of some kind? I accidentally skipped lunch.” 

He opened his mouth, clearly trying to think. “Would sushi be okay…Or burgers if you like. Either’s fine with me,” he interrupted himself mid sentence, clasping his hands together.  _ Hold up. What’s that about?  _

“Burgers would work fine, very much on a student budget here! I’ve never tried sushi though. Always wanted to.” 

He nodded, smiling softly. “That’s understandable. I’ll meet you outside, I need to close up the cafe.” 

Willow made her way outside and stood by the window of the cafe outside. She quickly texted Hope to let her know, and put her phone back in her pocket. She grinned, unable to keep a straight face. 

The door opened next to her, and Lucas came out, locking it behind him. His eyes lit up when he noticed her waiting for him and made his way over. They walked together side by side, a comfortable silence between them. Not needing to fill the silence with pointless small talk was freeing for Willow.

“So...what made you want to...y’know...work in a cafe?” She winced slightly at her trip up mid sentence.

“My best friend Henrik, his family owns the cafe. I’m studying to become a physiotherapist and just moved to London, so needed a bit of extra money. One day I want to join Doctors Without Borders, in terms of future plans. I prefer to not rely on my parents too heavily, make my own way in life. What about you?”

Her eyes glittered slightly as she started to explain. “I’m a law student. I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer since I was younger, I watch a lot of documentaries in my spare time. I wanted to have a chance to make a difference in life, however small it might be. I play guitar and want to have my own cat too, I definitely plan on having a lot of cats. I’m also fairly arty, I do that just for fun though.”

He linked hands with her and led her towards a restaurant over the road. She felt her hand start to vibrate with the sensation of his hand in hers, and wanted to stay that way forever.

The restaurant was small and fairly relaxed, she didn’t feel out of place in her jumper, jeans and combat boots. She used any excuse she could to give herself extra height, despite being 5’8 already. The gap between her and Lucas in terms of height wasn’t too drastic, she liked him being slightly taller than her. 

They stood together as they queued for a table, the closeness giving her goosebumps. When they eventually sat down, the table was small and candle lit. Natural plants were in pots around the room, and it appeared light and airy, with lighter wood tables and chairs. 

She looked outside, noticing the changing colours of the sky as the sun went down. It was the turning of the seasons, that small period of time in between autumn and winter. She thrived in the cold weather, longing for winter to properly start and the hell of the holiday season to be over. 

“Nice place. Have you been here before then?” She turned to him and looked away from the changing sky.

“I found it when I first moved. I’ve just been exploring the area, looking for as many different restaurants as I could. I prefer to explore more individual restaurants, not chains, if I can help it.”

“Interesting. That’s actually what I’ve been doing with coffee shops. Or trying to do anyway, before I fell in love with  _ Adventure Coffee.  _ The other places I’ve been to have just been a blip on the radar. I love the natural aspects of it, and how individual it seems. Along with how calm and quiet it is.” She leaned her head on her hands and looked up at him.

“Henrik will definitely be pleased to hear that. He loves it, having a possible regular will cheer him up,” he replied, his eyes trained on hers. “You seem to do a lot of challenges, coffee shops along with that classic books one.”

“Ah, yes. I regret the classic books one though. That one’s just very pointless, I want to read what I want to read and not have restrictions. The coffee shop one is different though, gives me an excuse to explore. It also gave me a place to study that wasn’t my uni library, my room or the house. Trying to study with my housemates about was considerably difficult, but you don’t want to hear about that.” She cut herself off, pushing her glasses up her nose and studying the menu in front of her. She scanned it with a finger, seeing what jumped out.  _ Aha! Burger with bacon, cheese, mushrooms and chips on the side. Interesting combination, but definitely has you intrigued. _

“I understand that. Challenges are sometimes helpful, but having control over what you want to do is important. If you don’t enjoy it, then why keep going?” he replied, reaching over and squeezing her hand.  _ That’s part of the reason you want to stop. There’s no point in continuing if you don’t enjoy it. Marisol might be disappointed, but she’ll get over it. _

“I only started it to please my friend Marisol. We don’t really have much in common, apart from the challenge itself and taking the same course. I don’t want to disappoint her, or lose her friendship, even though we aren’t close any more. If anything, I’m just continuing things because I feel a little sorry for her, she hasn’t really got anyone else, she’s so isolated. Which isn’t really a good basis for a friendship, I know. It’s difficult….It’s not like it was with us, that’s for sure. I did want to stay close to you.” She clasped her hands together, staring at them. Telling him about the past was a serious risk, but she wanted to see if it would be worth it. 

“That’s difficult. I understand that you wanted to try to preserve the friendship, but maybe you can just be polite with one another instead. Otherwise, it can come across a little artificial. I understand your dilemma though. I’m not sure how to help myself.” He sighed, frowning slightly, as he let the silence linger.. “I did want to stay friends with you, too. I don’t believe in fate, but I’m glad I saw you again. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was you, we were eleven when we last saw each other.”

“I get that. It would be awkward if it wasn’t me. I’m glad you feel the same though. I sure hope I’ve changed since I was eleven! I’m definitely considerably taller.” She laughed slightly, winking at him. “Also talking about the Marisol situation with someone who wasn’t linked to it was helpful, actually. Turns out that was more than enough.” 

They settle into a silence, only broken by ordering food. Her eyes glittered slightly as she started to warm up, feeling free as a bird. Having that essay off her hands was helpful. Something finally clicked in her head, a way to solve her issue. “Maybe we start a little book club? No challenges or anything, just one of us picking the book each month. That would be far easier to continue.” 

Lucas nodded. “That sounds far more achievable. If both of you were up for the challenge, that would be different. But it would be unfair to have Marisol having all of the control. You solved it without needing my help. That’s impressive.” 

As the food and drink appeared, they focused on their meal. Willow hadn’t planned on this impromptu adventure, it was different from how she usually worked. She thrived on extensive routines and knowing exactly what was next. But as she looked into Lucas’ eyes, she realised she wasn’t fully sure of what the future would lead to, and that it was actually suitable for her in terms of this relationship. Love wasn’t a thing to be planned, to be pencilled in her diary. Meeting an old friend after so many years had passed was a surprise, and she knew that even if this stayed a friendship, she would be satisfied. 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
